Gold Award

The Venturing Gold Award was developed to recognize the significant accomplishment in a Venturer’s life as he or she has proven outstanding performance in a broad spectrum of activities. Earning it will challenge and motivate Venturers over an extended period.

This award provides a favorable image of the Venturing program among youth, parents, schools, and the community. It offers challenging and stimulating opportunities for Venturers to develop and achieve personal goals in the areas of leadership, character development, and personal fitness.

 

Procedure
To achieve the award, Venturing Gold Award candidates must submit a written petition to their crew Advisor in which they outline their plans and ambitions for their projects. Advisors are encouraged to have a conference with each candidate to ensure that the Venturer has developed a well-conceived plan, and that he or she has specific goals in mind. The Advisor approves the plan. After council approval, the council issues the award. They are required to have earned the Venturing Bronze Award.

Requirements
Venturing Gold Award candidates must be active and registered Venturers for at least 12 months before final qualification. They must serve in a leadership role within the 12 months before final qualification. They must participate in a district, council, or national Venturing event or activity. They must set and accomplish one personal goal in each of the six areas. They must plan and lead at least two crew activities. They must recite the Venturing Oath. Three letters of recommendation from adults outside of the crew are required, and the candidate must make an oral presentation to a crew review committee. Finally, they must be approved and recommended by their crew committee.

Recognition
After many months of determined service and leadership, the Venturing Gold Award should be presented in a setting worthy of the award. Suggested occasions include high school assemblies, church services, and council Venturing events. The award may be presented more than once. The award is a gold medal featuring the Venturing logo inside a compass dial. The medal is suspended from a white ribbon. A certificate is also available.

The Requirements

1. The candidate must have at least 12 months’ tenure as an active, registered Venturer before final qualification.
2. Earn at least one Bronze Award.
3. The candidate must have been an active member of the Venturing crew, and served in one or a combination of leadership roles within the past 12 months (roles may be concurrent) as follows.
   For leadership roles within the crew, a candidate might be:
   a. A crew officer.
   b. A team leaders’ council member or committee member.
   c. An activities chairman for one of the crew’s two-day activities or superactivity.
   For leadership roles outside the crew, a candidate might be:
   a. An elected youth officer of a religious or school organization.
   b. An elected or appointed team leader.
4. The candidate must have participated in a district, council, area, region, or national Venturing event.
5. The candidate must, in consultation with the crew Advisor or a member of the crew committee, set and accomplish one personal growth goal related to each of the following areas: citizenship, leadership, service to others, community/family, outdoor experience, and total fitness. (Six personal growth goals).
   For personal growth, a candidate might
   a. Complete a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course or an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course.
   b. Plan and carry out a personal exercise program over a four-month period, i.e., jogging, running, swimming, weight reduction, or physical conditioning.
   c. Practice for, and attain, the Presidential Physical Fitness Award.
   d. Complete a reading program of the scriptures, classic literature, historical series, etc.
   e. Serve for six months as a reading counselor for a child with reading problems.
   f. Visit a nursing home on a regular basis over a four-month period to help write letters or to read to patients or provide personalized services.
6. The candidate must plan, prepare for, and lead to completion two or more crew activity projects that relate to at least two of the following areas: citizenship, leadership, service to others, community/family, outdoor experience, and total fitness. Suggested crew activity projects are listed separately below. (Two crew activity projects).
   For crew/ship activities, the action should involve at least five Venturers, and it should require a minimum of four to six months from inception to completion; the project should be approved and the goals of the project set by the crew Advisor and/or a member of the crew committee and the Venturer candidate. Both parties should certify the completion of the project(s). Activities should be arranged to fit into normal crew programming. Qualifying crew/ship activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
   a. Plan and, with the help of at least four other Venturers, carry out a conservation project that is approved by an agency of the federal, state, or local government, such as the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, state division of parks and recreation, city or county parks department, etc.
   b. Plan and chair a committee that stages a major social activity involving crew members and their parents, or crew members and their entire families.
   c. Plan and carry out a series of crew activities over a four- to six-month period, related to an interest of crew members. Professional or volunteer consultants could be asked to present information regarding their specialty, profession, or occupation.
   d. Help organize a new Venturing crew, or revitalize an inactive crew; coordinate activity with BSA local council staff members.
   e. Organize a recruitment drive to add members to your own crew or to other crews in the district/council. The drive should last at least one month, and the recruitment plan should include specific activities oriented toward recruiting new members, goals, methods of publicity, etc.
7. The candidate must be able to recite the Venturing Oath.
8. The candidate must submit three letters of recommendation to the crew Advisor that confirm he or she lives in accordance with the principles of the Venturing Oath. The letters should come from adults outside the crew, such as school or religious leaders, employers, or community leaders.
9. After completing all other requirements, the candidate should prepare evidence of completion of the work and submit it to the crew Advisor. The crew president, in conjunction with the crew Advisor, should then appoint a review committee of four to six people including Venturers and adults. The committee should review the candidate’s written presentation and interview the candidate to determine whether that person grew as a result of the pursuit of the Gold Award. (Presentation orally and in writing is made before the Venturing crew review committee).2 No district or council review board is required.
10. Finally, the candidate must have qualified for the Gold Award before his or her 21st birthday.